ON YOUR TURN

Each player begins a turn with 3 movement actions they can spend to travel the board as well as the opportunity to pick up passengers when next to a planet.

These 3 actions can only take you so far though. The board is made up of modular hexagons each featuring multiple spaces. Additionally, there are asteroid fields and other obstacles working to slow down your travel plans. It will be necessary to establish wormholes to leap from one place on the board to another quickly. Wormholes can be established next to any planet, but can only be activated when 2 wormholes of the same type are present on the board. This requires strategic planning in an effort to build the most efficient network of wormholes across the board.

You’re not in this alone… You’re actually able to “borrow” your opponents’ established wormholes. Anytime a player travels through your wormhole, you receive a point. The cost may be worth it since any number of passengers cards in your hand featuring a specific planet can be played at that plant as a free action. Passengers earn 2 points each for the first 5 played and then 3 for each additional delivery.

The board features a variety of things that can harm and benefit your plans. Nebulae allow players to shoot forward an extra space, wild wormholes can take you to specific established wormholes, photon cannons shoot you across the board and black holes take you to a random planet—all beneficial in the right circumstances.

Players also have the opportunity to drop off and pick up passengers from the space station. These visible passengers populate throughout the game and can take the guesswork out of drawing new passengers from the passenger deck.

Each time a wormhole is established for the first time next to a planet it triggers the game’s countdown. Depending on the player count, the countdown continues until all the planets are connected. From there each player has 3 more turns to maximize their score.

COMPONENTS & ARTWORK

The artwork feels pretty similar to a lot of space games out there. The majority of artwork revolves around the planets. The planets are done well, but don’t really get me excited. The board, while dark, does have some flair to it, but again is pretty standard. The cards represent intergalactic tickets and it’s all fine, but overall, there is nothing spectacular from a visual standpoint. The components are in a similar boat. The wormhole tokens are plastic and are certainly an upgrade over cardboard tokens, but the majority of components are middle of the road. The game board is fine—it’s not super cheap, but this is a game obviously targeting a mid to lower tier price point and that’s understandable.

PROS & CONS

+ I like the game’s efficiency challenge. Working to deliver the most passengers in an efficient and effective way really appeals to me as a gamer.

+ It’s fun to build a network of wormholes that can trigger chained actions.

+ I enjoy being able to use my opponents’ wormholes. This is pretty essential to your success, but you always need to consider the point bonuses you’re providing your opponents while using their wormholes.

+ The double-sided, modular board creates plenty of new adventures. Each game is going to provide a slightly different challenge.

+ Setup and play time are really about right. The game is easy to teach and plays fairly quickly.

– While I really enjoy the game’s challenge, I wonder how long the game’s legs are—will I lose interest the closer I get to perfecting my strategy. There aren’t a ton of different approaches you can bring to the game so this is a concern.

– I’m wondering if I’d be more engaged if the production had a little more excitement and personality… just a thought.

Neutral – Wormholes is a game of efficiency, but it’s also a game of luck. Pulling the right passenger cards from the stack can really propel your game. While you can exchange passengers at the space station, it’s often a challenge on its own to get back there.

WHY WOULD YOU LIKE THIS GAME?

If you’re a fan of games that encourage efficient planning, this could be right up your alley. Building your wormhole network to quickly jump from any point to another as quickly as possible is a lot of fun. All-the-while you’ve got to keep your eye on the countdown track keeping in mind how many turns you likely have left.

THE BEST THING ABOUT THIS GAME?

The best thing is chaining wormhole combos together. It feels pretty sweet when in one turn, you can travel to 3 different planets far across the board that might otherwise take a dozen turns and drop off different sets of passengers at each planet. It takes some planning, but being able to pull this off always feels satisfying and really gives you a sense of accomplishment.

PERSONAL THOUGHTS

Alderac Entertainment Group has a number of spectacular games on the market right now—many of which we play regularly. Then they have the tier below… still good games, but not quite on the level of those elite titles. This is where Wormholes sits.

I think the game’s efficiency puzzle is a lot of fun. Right now it’s sitting on my game table and we’re breaking it out everyday. I really appreciate the modular board and its ability to keep things fresh. There is a lot of fun in the gameplay for the right group of people. While Wormholes plays fine at 2, this is one that really benefits from having 3, 4 or 5 players. Additionally, the extra players don’t add additional game time.

I really enjoy how accessible this is, how quick it plays and how easy it is to teach. While the game plays in around 40-45 minutes (teetering close to that longer play time), I was still eager to get multiple plays on my first day with Wormholes. It plays like a quicker, smaller game.

My biggest concern is that it might be a little forgettable. The production is solid, but there isn’t a ton of personality in it. I don’t say this to be disrespectful to the art team, but the production seems very similar to a lot of space-themed games on the market and this could easily be passed up or missed entirely.

In the end, I definitely enjoyed Wormholes. It breathes some life into the pick up and delivery mechanic for me and I really had fun playing it. I do wish it had more of the intangibles that keep me coming back to a game. I would highly encourage you to play it first before buying, but this could be a regular appearance for the right group.

ON YOUR TURN

Each player begins the game with a matching map representing a portion of the kingdom of Tigomé. These maps are made up of a series of hexagons that you’ll mark off with cubes as you explore the territory. Each map is doubled-sided and the base game comes with 8 different lands to explore.

Each era features a deck of 5 basic explorer card actions and an era card. These cards are shuffled together and revealed one at a time as the round commences. Each action card allows players to simultaneously place explorer cubes on their board in special, unique ways. These cards might allow you to explore a number of specific terrain type spaces or a certain number of spaces adjacent to one another. The catch is, you can only explore adjacent to the beginning city, previously connecting explorer cubes or newly discovered villages.

With only 6 cards in play and a vast territory to explore, it may seem challenging to actually get anything done… Well, initially, it is. That’s why it’s so critical to discover villages. Villages can be placed on the map once a player has traveled through each connected hex-space of a specific terrain type during a specific era. Once that’s accomplished, the player replaces one of their explore cubes with a village. Now, that player can start a new path on future rounds from their newly discovered village.

Additionally, players get the opportunity to spice things up with the round’s era card. When the era card is revealed, players draw 2 investigation cards and choose one of them. These investigation cards provide accelerated and interesting ways to explore the board. Once a player chooses their investigation card, that action is linked to that era card for the rest of the game. This is good news, because when round 2 begins, the era 1 card will be shuffled into the era 2 deck with the original 5 action cards as well as an era 2 card. Then once it’s revealed, each player gets to take that action again.

Players will also uncover bonuses as they cross over certain symbols on the map, Discovering lost ruins allows you to pull a card from the treasure deck which features coins as well as end game bonuses. Certain spaces might uncover coins or citadel towers which earn money based on the current round.

You also have the opportunity to establish trade routes between cities. Each known city on the map is labeled with a certain number. Connecting two cities with a trail of your explorer cubes will earn you coins equal to the multiplied value of the two cities.

Each map has its own unique twist on the game. Some maps may allow you to discover crystals, while others might limit your movement through rocks in the ocean or various other things.

As each round progresses, players will continue through the explorer deck along with era cards, working simultaneously to uncover new territory, earn bonuses (which also includes 3 unique community goals) and collect all the coins they can. The player with the most coins at the end of the game is the winner.

COMPONENTS & ARTWORK

The artwork of The Guild of Merchant Explorers does a fairly good job of communicating an old-world adventure vibe. I think it’s charming in its own way and plays well into the theme and gameplay.

The components are fine. The cubes, villages and citadel towers are small, but they’re all made of wood and feel good. There are a lot of tokens used to denote city trade routes or ruins uncovered and they’re pretty small. In fact, the individual game boards aren’t huge, but I do like the idea of each player having their own board to explore so this was probably the best course of action. There’s nothing component-wise necessarily to write home about, but nothing that made me feel cheated in any way.

PROS & CONS

+ I really like the vibe of the game. It’s very laid back and simple. The khaki board colors and simple components all contribute to this calming experience.

+ The unique game maps provide plenty of opportunity to change up the game. While there is the possibility of the gameplay feeling “same-y” over a period of time, these maps and their unique rulesets create new and interesting experiences.

+ This is a game about maximizing your turns. You never know how the cards are going to be revealed, but you always know which ones are still available. This creates a neat, think-y opportunity each turn. You’re not only playing the most recent card, but you’re planning ahead to accomplish your own goals for the round. You also get to take into account your era card bonuses which are unique to each player. This can really cultivate a unique strategy for each game.

+ This is a really easy game to teach and learn. The recommended age group is 14+, but that’s not accurate. My 7 year old was easily able to pick up the rules and concepts without any trouble.

+ The game plays equally well solo as within a group.

– This is not a game of interaction. Yes, there are community goals with the first player to achieve them earning more coins, but it seems like a pretty minimal element. You’re basically playing your own game and hoping your decisions outproduced your opponents.

– The game might be a little too mellow for some players. I played with a variety of gamers and their level of engagement varied A LOT.

– I discussed the components previously, but some of the smaller pieces and smaller map spaces could lead to some trouble for sausage fingers.

WHY WOULD YOU LIKE THIS GAME?

If you’re looking for that next great adventure game that immerses you in the ideas of exploration and discovery… this probably isn’t that game. This is a cube pusher that satisfies based on how much more you accomplish by the end of the game. I’d say players looking for a game of efficiency are going to enjoy this, but that’s actually most games. Where Merchants stands out is in its fun process and planning that pushes your explorers just a little further, achieving just a little more than you thought possible.

THE BEST THING ABOUT THIS GAME?

The best thing is the game’s simplicity. I really enjoyed flipping over a card and everyone simultaneously taking their action. This can be a problem if not everyone grasps the rules, but Merchant’s is a simple game with an easy rule set. One play in and you’ll not only grasp the rules and concepts, but also have a new plan of attack for your next adventure.

PERSONAL THOUGHTS

The Guild of Merchant Explorers feels a bit like a flip and write. The game’s boards could have easily been sheets of paper that you mark. Roll/flip and writes are all the rage and Merchant’s does a lot to satisfy those experience seekers. I’m a big fan of those types of games, so the pace and feel of this one was already moving in the right direction for me.

This is a family game, and at my stage in life, I’m always giving extra kudos to games that I enjoy, but that are also easy and enjoyable for my kids. Merchants earn extra points here. The rules are super easy, the mechanics are simple and the game plays quickly. It does all that without compromising the challenge behind your choices. You often feel limited, but through careful planning, you’re able to achieve a lot more… and that is really satisfying.

I brought this one to my game night and it didn’t go over well with everyone. Some thought it was boring and underwhelming. They’re welcome to their opinion, but I disagree. I really enjoy the pacing and accessibility. The theme could have been anything, but I enjoy the idea behind it and seeing the theme mapped onto the process and puzzle you’re trying to solve. I like how quickly it plays while still letting you feel like you’ve accomplished something. Do I accomplish everything? Absolutely not, but that’s also part of the allure. The Guild of Merchant Explorers might not be for everyone, but I really enjoyed it and hope it finds the right audience.